Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola wants to make serious inroads into his summer transfer plans this month and has rekindled his interest in Athletic Club defender Aymeric Laporte, reports Goal.
Guardiola’s side were left fuming when a deal for Laporte collapsed in the summer of 2016 but have turned back to the 23-year-old as the Premier League leaders look to strengthen their defensive options.
City have been heavily linked with a move for West Brom defender Jonny Evans but appear to have now prioritised the transfer of Laporte, who has a €65m (£57m) release clause in his current deal.
After missing out on Alexis Sanchez and Virgil van Dijk to Manchester United and Liverpool, respectively, this month, Guardiola is determined to land his first choice targets from now on and wants to get a large chunk of his summer business concluded in January.
Laporte is yet to hit the heights of his early promise but his development has not been helped by injuries. The Athletic Club defender is making more accurate long balls per game (7.4) than any other outfielder in La Liga this season.
With this in mind, it’s worth investing in Laporte on Football INDEX. The former France U21 international’s currently trading at £1.37 a share and that will only increase as speculation intensifies.
